Secrets at the Summit
by PuppetMaster776
Summary: Disneyland the Happiest Place on Earth right? What if you discovered a secret that Walt himself locked away before he died, a secret so dark that should it be discovered those who dug it up would have their lives changed forever? Desmond did...
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Thunder boomed through the night sky as the rain continued to fall from the Heavens. Another bolt of lightning split the sky, and in those brief moments a hooded figure could be seen sprinting through the vacant streets of Disneyland, with two security guards nipping at his heels. _Relentless little pricks aren't they? _He thought after ducking behind one of the large trees that was overlooking the Finding Nemo Submarine Adventure ride. The trespasser quickly climbed up the plant,gaining a better view and hiding place deep within it's branches. His pursuers had finally made it to the makeshift hiding spot only moments after he had climbed into the branches.

"Where did he go?" one of them asked between breaths.

"I haven't got a clue bro, but if we don't get that book back were done!" One of the guards said as he too began to catch his breath.

Desmond decided it was time he delt with these two and got them off his back if he wanted to make it out of the park with the book, but he wasn't entirely sure how he could do it yet. Meanwhile the guards lingered while trying to formulate a plan on how to catch the thief; their fatigue finally catching up with them as their words began to slowly go from calm and collective whispers to loud, headstrong tests of testosterone.

_This is probably gonna be my only shot to loose em'. I'd better think of something fast! _He thought.

Just then a light went off in his head as Desmond reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a single folded piece of parchment. His gaze met the writings on the now unfolded paper. The boy took a moment to look it over before returning it to his pocket and whispering "Well Nothing ventured, Nothing gained." With that Desmond closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. In this meditative state he focused on his inner most desires, pleading with the darkness of his mind to aid him in his time of need. The more he thought about what he wanted the more powerful he felt. Soon he found himself gazing at a ball of white goo? It seemed to be made of a liquid substance, White like milk but as thick as Blood, and imbued with a light so brilliant it might have been a star.

The hypnotic and vibrant lights of this odd sphere drew words from the boys throat as if telling him what to say: 

"_EGO dico super Vox of Ruina__" _he said out loud.

When Desmond opened his eyes he was met with a faint purple light emanating from his hands and the Violet Inferno surrounding them! However the time he spent in awe was but a moment, for in his meditative state Desmond saw that it had alerted his attackers.

"Hey! There he is!" one of them called

"Get down here you little punk!" the other one aid with a scowl in his features.

Terror shot through the young mans body as all of his muscle functions froze in place, leaving him to sit and await his fate._ No no no NO! It can't end like this, this book holds the secret to the Gate! _The two men began to climb upwards towards him; shouting idle threats that flew through his ears as he continued to think of the outcome to this scenario. His hope was almost gone when another voice echoed in his mind, this one a calm silky voice of a man with a tone of voice that seemed almost soothing.

"_I have granted you my light, now my boy show me how deep the darkness runs through your veins!" _it said never breaking it's calm tempo, letting his words seep into the boys mind before continuing.

"_Tap into your true desires, and use them to augment your hatred and __**swat**__ these impudent flies!"_ boomed the voice.

Desmond's eyes shot to his attackers, as his instincts willed him to do as he was commanded and to appease this strange entity. He lunged at the two security guards catching each of them by their skulls and slamming them on the ground below. Desmond felt a sinister smile drape across his face as the voice continued to echo in his mind "_Excellent Desmond show these mortal worms no mercy!"_

The guards began to pull and scream in both fear and agony as their assailant slowly tightened his grip on them, the foreign smile never leaving his features; with his companion urging him to take their lives "_crush them!"_ It whispered "_Wrangle the life essence from their carcases!" _It took the boy almost no time to make his decision, as his morals tried to fight against this sudden craving to take the lives of innocents. But in the end the thirst took it's victory as another strange phrase found it's way to his lips

"_**Obruno**__**!" **_Shouted the boy as the sounds of screaming were replaced by the cracking of bone under his palms, a sound that caused a swelling of pride and joy in the heart of the boy.

Desmond's sight came back to him abruptly and as the darkness cleared he saw the outcome of his actions. His hands had a dark red tint to them, this sight alone made him start questioning this power he so easily used on the guards. _Why do you fret Desmond? "Do not Fear these gifts they are a blessing of power!" _The voice bellowed. "Who are you!" cried Desmond

Only then did he notice the piles of ash on the ground where the guards once lay. Panic overtook him he began to run. all the while the voice still whispering in his ear. "_Please Desmond don't run away from your destiny;believe you me I know you won't get far before you realize that you cannot obtain power like this here!"_

"shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" He shouted again as the voices tempting banter slowly began leaking it's way into his skull, the more it spoke of power; the more Desmond found himself Craving that power now swimming in his thoughts. He slowed his rapid steps to a halt, his heart slowly calming as he took in the words plaguing his thoughts. "a-answer me this; who or what are you?" He asked again. The voices reply came in the same monotone as before. "_How can you not remember that which has always been in your heart Desmond? I exist because you do, I feel what you do, your sins are mine as my sin is yours!"_ Lightning split the sky as rain continued to fall.

_Now Desmond...open it; take it out and begin carving your name into the flesh_ _of the world! _Desmond obliged to the request and unzipped his jacket; retrieving the item it withheld, the very object that cost the guards their lives. He pulled out a Black Tome ,about the size of an old Dictionary, and held it out into the open air; awaiting the next command. "_Good my boy good! _The voice cooed _now perform the spell again and claim __your right as Champion to the Dark Prince!"_

Desmond looked down at the leather binding ; taking notice to the steel emblem of what looked like a massive tower with huge bat-like wings closing in around it. " what's this marking?" For a moment he waited the reply, his focus never leaving the book. _"Open it Desmond."_ it said _"everything you want to know dwells within the pages of this book. The power to rule an entire country, the knowledge of ten thousand sages and soldiers alike!" _bellowed the echo.

Desmond still could only stare at the book, this time keeping a firm grip on on his psyche; who knew what this strange presence had in store for him should he do as instructed and open the book. _"whats keeping you Desmond? We are so close to our reward you can almost smell it!" _

"forgive me if I don't exactly welcome some ravenous voice into my thoughts with open arms after it turned me into a murderer. And what exactly do you mean by "our" reward?" He said

"_oh? And what makes you think I have to power to "turn" you into anything my boy? After all those actions weren't mine they were yours;Every decision made on this night has been yours Desmond! But I suppose regret comes naturally to you; after all you are only human."_ It said avoiding the last question.

Although he didn't want to admit it, Desmond somehow knew that deep in his heart that everything done here tonight was of his own free will.Human, just the thought of the word made Desmond feel insignificant. Maybe it was the strange voice whispering promises of power in his ear or the constant shame he'd kept to himself for over 4 years now; with every moment coming to gnaw at his sanity. _"see my friend? You don't truly regret your actions tonight do you? The spark of hatred in your eyes is as bright as the sun! And what is fueling that spark Desmond? Neglect,remorse, jealousy,anguish; oh the list goes on!" _It recited his feelings back unto him like he was reading a book on the subject. this fact alone seemed to comfort Desmond. It was almost like having his father next to him, helping him along the road of life; easing his aching feet whenever he felt he could no longer walk another step.

Desmond relaxed his shoulders and did as he was asked all the while the voice's hypnotic whisper kept him calm. _"i know how much you want to forget what you've done my boy,very few people your age can handle such a gruesome task easily, and carry it on their conscience for as long as you have."_

"if I do this, if I read from this book; the nightmares... will they end?" came Desmond's hollow reply.

"_this is only the first step boy, but keep your resolve strong, and your goal in thought? And I'm sure you will receive the reprieve you are searching for." _and with those final words his resistance ceased and Desmond took the black leather cover in hand; and opened the book. Soon after he began to read page after page after page, engraving the contents of the tome into his memory, barely noticing the golden light that seemed to be glowing brighter with each turn of a page.

Desmond continued to vigorously skim the book, ignorant to what it was exactly he was looking for. it was about half way through the massive book, that one particular chapter caught his attention. The page read "_Chapter XVI:The Secrets Hidden at the Summit._" He took a moment to delve into the chapters knowledge before closing the book and letting the golden aura dissipate into the night. "The Matterhorn?" he said "that's where he is, isn't he?"

"_You catch on quickly my boy, impressive. Yes it is within the Majestic mountain where the dark prince sleeps, awaiting his champion's aid in obtaining his freedom and revenge."_

" he's trapped in a huge plaster mountain in a theme park? Seems a little farfetched to me." replied Desmond in obvious confusion.

"_no no Desmond not here! Such bonds could not hold his majesty! No he is held in a place far beyond this place. A place that birthed this very theme park!" _echoed the apparition

"And where is that exactly? If you don't mind me asking?"

"_Andilasia" _hissed the voice _"there is more to be said, but that is for another time I'm afraid. For now you must return home my boy and rest up for tomorrow."_

"What happens tomorrow?" asked Desmond

"_You begin your rise to power, and ascend beyond the common man, and soar into the very cosmos as a GOD!" _bellowed the voice.

It wasn't long before Desmond found himself alone in the rain, with nothing but the faint echoes of the strange voice lingering on his thoughts. _A GOD?_ He thought, feeling a strange tingle in his gut...Fear? No, Anxiety was the feeling; and it felt good. He pulled his black hood over his head and made his way towards the exits. As he made the final stretch down Main Street he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small folded piece of parchment, the same material as the tome that he held in his adjacent hand. He unfolded it with little trouble, and read the font written on the page.

"Andilasia" he said aloud while stopping in his tracks and giving the mountain one last glance before his departure. "a Place where destiny is not found, but earned, and where dreams are the reality. I can't hardly wait" he whispered before trotting off into the cold stormy night, a hollow shell of his former self.


	2. An Unspoken Sadness

Chapter 1

An Unspoken Sadness

_T__he midnight air was deathly still, moonlight shone through the windows, piercing the darkness of night with it's white light. Emily Stirred beneath the covers,restlessly. She never did get much sleep on nights like this; after her father... well none of that really mattered now. she could already hear the sweet melody of his violin echoing from downstairs. That told her that in a few hours he would be right back to his joyful cheery self again! A lite smile formed on her lips "ya... just like that" she whispered, her hazel eyes never leaving the pale ceiling of her room._

_However it would seem __**fate **__had a different opinion in this matter. Suddenly the house was filled with a loud ruckus as well as the sounds of a man yelling, her father. it was fear that drove her actions, but never the less Emily quickly got out of her bed to investigate the noise. which seemed to be coming from the living room! A loud crash echoed in her ears forcing her to quicken her pace. She had just made it down the last of the stairs when a loud scream stopped her decent cold._

_In that moment the world around her went still! Slowly she willed her limbs to move the last few steps to enter the living room. The whole time she prayed a thousand prayers, trying to steel her nerves for whatever lay around the corner. Emily let out a __shaky breath and entered the living room, the tile counters that stood adjacent to the kitchen sink were now chipped and cracked from blunt force of whatever had been forced on them. Her tables lay shattered on the floor as well. Bits of glass spread among the destruction._

_But her gaze had only been transfixed on one thing. There in the center of one of the room,lay her father with a hunting knife lodged deep in his jugular. She tried to call for help but no words came out, the swelling emotions of Fear, Anguish,and Disbelief kept her quiet! Suddenly the weapon began to remove itself, which told her that her fathers killer was still here! His dark leather shoes were all Emily could see. The persons upper half was cloaked in the shadows that hung along the walls. Where the moonlight did not shine._

_Again she tried to run and call for help! but something was keeping Emily from doing anything. Though her body and mind told her to escape she still stood frozen by the strange feeling that seemed to be emitting from the attacker, a feeling that she could only describe as **Evil**... unconditional and lawless like that of a vicious animal. Emily's dwelling thoughts were broken by the mans gruff breathing.. _

"_why..." was all she could muster through the slowly increasing feeling of grief._

_No response was given to her only the solace of his silence. After a moment the sound of quiet laughter emerged from the darkness and his eyes shone through the dark! Each of his Iris's shined a deep golden color, while his eyeballs themselves seemed to be made of Platinum. Her gaze was soon forcefully transfixed on them, no matter how much she tried Emily's body became immobile. she slipped Deeper and deeper into his gaze until darkness overtook her._

Emily shot up in her bed in a cold sweat, goosebumps ran along her exposed flesh. Her breathing was irregular, her heart racing intensely. This nightmare always plagued her on night before the Anniversary of her fathers death. She took a moment to calm herself before grabbing the small picture frame on the nightstand to the left of her bed. The only one she had that with held her family portrait, and there forever frozen in a smile was her father, strong arms holding her once tiny frame as weightless as the air, raven black hair covering his head. Her mother at her fathers side smiling just the same underneath his other arm.

She turned her attention to the clock on the wall that read 12:20 am. She smiled a weakly before returning to the picture and said "Six Years today Daddy, six long years since that night." she said to the voiceless picture kissing it before setting it back down. It wasn't long before tears welled up in her eyes and slid down her cheeks.

When it appeared she had suppressed the sadness of the memories, she reached for her cellphone and punched in a few numbers, the light from the device stinging her already sore eyes. She listened to it ring a few times, only three passed, when her contact picked up their phone.

"Nightmare again?" spoke the voice on the other line with a sincere tone added to help remedy her sadness. She slowly nodded and replied "ya, can you come over?" she asked more tears slurring her words as they left her mouth.

"Do you even have to ask? I'll be right over Em don't worry" he replied, though she couldn't see him, the tone of his voice told her he was more than happy to come to see her.

"Thanks...Desmond, I'll see you soon."

"take care till I get there,OK Em?" was the last words she heard before she hung up.

Desmond sat cross -legged on the floor of his bedroom, a circle of notebook paper surrounding him,and the massive black tome laying open just in front of him. He put his nose back into the book writing strange symbols on the paper and placing the English corresponding letter adjacent to it. It had been almost a week since the night at Disneyland and he was barely up to "J". _having a little trouble my boy? Need to take a rest? _Came the voice again chiming more taunting words of sleep in his ear, which would have worked on anybody else but him. Sleep was a Luxury for him now a days.

He took a moment to stand up and stretch his legs before dignifying his **guest **with a response.

"Why the Hell is this taking so long? I should have written the whole alphabet 300 times over by now!" Desmond grabbed the empty glass that once held his water from his computer desk and made his way back to the kitchen for the fifth time. _Andilasian is a very complex language Desmond, you could say it's like cracking the worlds most complex code. But in the end your efforts will not be in vain! for once you have mastered the language you will be able to move on to honing your magic skills._ "I thought we humans couldn't use powerful magic here? It had something to do with the lack of the planets Magic essence right?" he filled his glass with some ice and some more water, making sure to keep his attention on the information being given to him. this voice may only be further proof of insanity brought on by many years of stress but that didn't keep it from knowing a lot about a place Desmond had only heard of it in the movie Enchanted. _Yes, but that's still only a half-truth you see. _it continued._ While true Earth __does not contain enough Magic essence for you to cast even simple spells, you can still augment a single spell using a combined amount close enough to you._

Desmond was about half of the way back to his room when his house phone rang, stopping him dead in his tracks. He turned his attention to the ringing phone on the counter, then to the clock that hung on the wall to the left, it's hands told him it was 12:20am on the dot. From this alone he knew who was calling but the phones Caller ID clarified it for him by chiming "Call from Masters Em."

He quickly grabbed the phone ,after setting his water down, and pressed the call button. "Nightmare again?" he asked. His response was delayed with silence from the other end but Desmond didn't pressure one, because he knew why. "Ya, can you come over?" she managed through her tears. He smiled in disbelief and rolled his eye, before answering her. "Do you even have to ask? I'll be right over Em don't worry" the sincerity leaving with his words would help her calm down a little, at least till he arrived. It was always like this just before the Anniversary.

"Thanks...Desmond, I'll see ya soon."

"Take care till I get there,OK Em?" he said before hanging up the phone. _Where are you going? Your room is in the other direction!_ Chimed the voice. Desmond grabbed his favorite hoodie from the closet by his front door. "we'll finish this later I've got a prior engagement so be quiet till I leave" he locked his door behind him and made his way down the street.

The night air was cold and still, but that didn't much bother Emily. She was sitting above her blankets with her knees to her chest letting her tears soak her pajamas. It had only been five minutes since she had called Desmond, but they were the longest five minutes she had ever sat through in her life! The silence was broken by a lite tapping coming from her bedroom window. She got up and moved her curtains to the side to reveling the massive shape of her childhood friend. He was wearing a black T-shirt with a Nightmare Before Christmas Hoodie over it, as well as sandals and the red plad Pajama pants she got him for Christmas last year. She unlocked the window and let him in. Before he could even think of saying anything she quickly wrapped her arms around him tightly, burying her tear filled eyes in his chest.

He slowly returned the embraced and comforted her, running his finger up and down her back gently and whispering "it's OK Em, it's OK just let it all out I'm here now" he could hear the sobs she let out even though they were muffled beneath his chest. It was hard seeing her like this, even in all the six years she had called him to be at her side. when this dark fear seeped through to her heart he was always there to help her smile again. A feeling of wanting he enjoyed so much.

The thought of her smile tugged at the strings of the young mans heart, to her friends she appeared to be a very happy ,intelligent, and _**Beautiful **_women. But on nights like this in front of him? No such happiness existed there was only despair. After a good five minutes she slowly began to calm down and pulled away from him. "Feeling better now?" she nodded her head, never taking her eyes off the ground.

"T-thanks Desmond I really needed that." said Emily through a few shaky breaths, she made her way towards her bathroom for some Kleenex to dry her eyes with.

"Anytime Em" he said. Emily paid no mind to his comment_. Wow tonight's got her, I mean more so than usual. Can say I blame her though I don't know how she could have put up with six years of this without my help? I'll give her a little more time before I try to make her laugh. _He thought while placing her desk chair next to her bed, he would be needing it once she returned.

"Maria's still in the closet right Em?" he called out to her.

"of course. she never leaves that spot Desmond!" she replied, her voice sounded like she was feeling much better than earlier. With that conformation he replied with "OK I'll go get her. Also Em I think I'm gonna start billing you for my dry cleaning your snot stains aren't easy to get out you know?" he heard her chuckle a little and retort. "Desmond you don't even pay for your dry cleaning let alone do it!" he laughed at the comment. "it's not my fault waters free and detergent isn't so why should I have to pay a machine to do washout the stain YOU made?" another chuckle came from her room. "your so mean to me Desmond!" she replied "it's only because I love you Em." he felt some of the tension in the air lift, as he retrieved a large leather case and went back to his friend.

Emily went back to bed, pulling her blankets over her slender frame as she waited for Desmond to retrieve,Maria, her fathers Violin. Back when she was sixteen, and her father was still alive, he taught Desmond how to play the instrument as a personal favor to her. But as those years went by it became more an annual thing between them. It never bothered her though; her and Desmond were practically family after all.

Desmond came back with the leather case in hand. Pulling up a chair he said "OK I found her, anything in particular you wanna hear tonight?" she shook her head and replied "not really no." she saw him grin as he gently rested his chin at the base of the Violin, the sweet melody of Beethoven filling the room. From the beginning of the melody time itself began to grow exhausted as moments became minutes, as minutes turned to hours. _He plays it so beautifully_ she thought, every bit as good as her father.

It didn't take long for the music to start working it's magic,it never did. She felt her eyelids getting heavy as Desmond played on. Moments after she was out, finally able to sleep for the night.

Desmond finished playing the violin and looked up to see Emily's sleeping form under her covers. A half-smile formed on his face as he quietly put the instrument back where he had retrieved it. "another job well done, see you next time Maria" he closed the closet door and went back to Emily's room. He was about to leave,via the window, when he took a second glance at his sleeping friend. He felt the smile from earlier melt into a frown as he just stood there staring at her for a good ten seconds before the moment was ruined by the uninvited. _Beautiful is she not? _"Didn't I tell you to stay quiet till we got back to my place?" he whispered in agitation. _Of course, but I saw no reason too after all she is asleep now isn't she? No sense in keeping quiet anymore. That is of course there is another reason that compels you to linger in silence? _

Desmond gave no reply he just quietly went towards the nightstand and grabbed one of the picture frames that sat on top of it. In this picture he saw Emily in an emerald green dress, her hair draped down on her shoulders. It was a picture from their senior prom and it was also one of Desmond's favorite pictures. He loved it for her smile, that smile so warm and loving it melted you like butter. He made it a point everyday he saw her to provoke the reaction out of her purely out of this infatuation with the way it made him feel. It was a joyful experience up until he caught a glimpse of the sad reality of things. There standing next to her was a young man just a little taller than her, he had well combed dirty blond hair, sapphire eyes and strong features. Mark Lancaster, another of Desmond's childhood friends and also Emily's Boyfriend.

_Don't like him very much do you? _Came the voice again. Desmond still refused to give him an answer, he just stood there staring at the the photograph with beastly vigor. He came back to reality and quickly put the photo back where he got it from, but in his haste it fell and landed face-forward on the hardwood desktop. Desmond heard Emily groan a little as she stirred from her slumber, it must have been pretty loud a noise because Emily was often a heavy sleeper.

"Desmond? Desmond what was that?"

"Sorry Em, I knocked over your picture frame when I went to leave. But I've fixed it so go back to sleep OK?" _That's your excuse? You weren't anywhere near her nightstand until just now! Your such a horrible liar it's embarrassing! _Although he hated to admit it the voice was right, what a stupid thing to say! Oh well, with any luck she'll just ignore it in her groggy state...hopefully.

Thankfully she just made a noise that would have sounded like an "OK Desmond" but was cut off by her exhaustion. He released his held breath in a low sigh and smiled. Leaning in and kissing her sleeping forehead and gently whispering "good night Em."

after closing the window Desmond carefully made his way down Emily's roof getting closer to the old tree they used to climb on back when they were kids. The memories dancing in his head drew only sadness from his heart. All those years he spent with her, treating her like the sister he never had all seemed so meaningless when compared to now. He couldn't say he hated it though. no, every moment they spent together still warmed his heart to no ends. It was the moments after that depressed him. To return to reality and watch Fantasy fade away. _A lot on your mind tonight? _" not just tonight, every night I do this for her." _really? You seemed to be enjoying yourself back there Desmond, or have I misjudged your character and you simply did this to spite that young man in the photograph? _Again the voice was ignored. Desmond's feet touched down on the moist grass of Emily's front yard. It took him a moment to realize that he had climbed down the tree. Zipping up his jacket, he slowly made his way back to his apartment just up the street. Sinking back into the memories. The cold night air stung his eyes as moisture traced his features, tasting salt he placed his right hand over his chest and whimpered "lay still my beating heart..."

_So your entire life has been filled, no ruled, by this infatuation has it? A lifetime of disappointment and jealousy! The perfect aspects of one who seeks the power to shatter the laws of reality! Oh yes my boy I think you and I are going to get along just fine Desmond Fuller... _echoed the voice.


	3. The Name

Chapter 1I

The Name

It was the obnoxious sound of the alarm clock that woke her up. Opening her eyes slowly,Emily was once again welcomed by the sight of her bedroom. She inhaled the morning air. She sat up and stretched her arms and back till she felt more comfortable. Looking from the bedroom window to her alarm clock, Emily tapped the snooze button and made her way towards the bathroom. She took a quick shower and dawned her clothes she picked for the day. A pair of light blue jeans, a black spaghetti strap top with a thin white t-shirt over it. Her only form of jewelry was a class ring Mark had given her senior year. After she had slipped it on her finger she took a moment to admire it's beauty. The ring was made of white gold, with a paper and pen engraved on the left side. The right had a scale, the Zodiac symbol of the _**Libra**_.

The silence was broken by the vibrations of her cellphone. The picture was that of a tall man with short brown hair and a round face. The font at the bottom read 'Teddy Bear'. Emily answered the phone. "Hello?" greeted with the immediate response of "Mornin' sunshine! And how are we this fine sunny day?"

"not so bright today Ted" she replied sarcastically

"ha! I get it, it's because I called you sunshine!" he said giving her pun a melodramatic fit of forced laughter. Emily quickly placed her hand over her mouth to muffle the eruption of laughter. Ted chuckled with her before returning to the conversation. "so really whats up Emily? You got any plans today?" he asked. Emily took a moment to give him an answer.

"no I'm free today why do you ask?"

"dude, we should hit up Disneyland then!" boomed the young mans voice. "Mark sent me a text earlier and said it wasn't too busy."

She took a moment to think when a question suddenly came to her. "Okay I'll go Ted." she chuckled a little. "What about Desmond, have you tried calling him yet?"

"ya I called him, he wasn't in nor did he answer his cell. I figured he was in the shower or something." replied Ted "Anyways" he continued "I'll be at your house in a few to pick you up. I'm gonna go grab Mark first. in the mean time see if you can get a hold of Dezzie before we get there pretty please Em?"

"sure I'll call him Teddy." she replied

"okay I'll see ya in a few Em" Emily ended the call.

Grabbing her purse she marched downstairs and took her house keys from the kitchen counter top, making her way towards the front door. As she opened the door she caught a glimpse of a black t-shirt decorated with skulls standing in the doorway. Emily stopped and looked up too see that her visitor was none other than Desmond! His arm was raised like he was getting ready to knock on the door and a shocked look of his own. His phone began to ring in his pocket, playing Voltaire's Day of the dead , as he fished it out and answered it.

"um, I'm here Em?" echoed his voice from her phone. She rolled her eyes and hung up

on his phone, Desmond did the same.

"Funny I was just about to come get you Desmond." she said

"get me?" he asked "get me for what?"

"Ted called me and said we should all go to Disneyland. He said he called you to tell you but you never answered." she stepped aside and let him into the living room.

"oh he did? My phone didn't ring. Piece of crap has been giving me problems lately. But as far as Disneyland goes, sure I'd love to go!" he let a twinge of excitement escape with his words. It was understandable, after all all four of them had grown up with all of the movies.

"so how did you sleep last night?" he asked her abruptly. Coming back from her thoughts she replied. "better, per usual thanks Desmond." she leaned in and wrapped her arms around him, she felt him do the same.

"sorry that I keep making yo-" she began but he cut her off.

"Emily how long have we been friends?"

"since kindergarten" she said releasing him from the hug.

"right, and for the past six years I've woken up in the middle of the night, stopped whatever I was doing to come and make sure you could get a good nights rest. Do you want to know why?" he said placing his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eyes.

"Why?" she smiled warmly

"Because I owe it to your dad for always being there for me. And I owe it to you because your like my sister Em! Big brothers gotta look after his little sister doesn't he?" he said placing his fists on his sides and posing like Superman.

Emily chuckled as Desmond regained his composure, before she had a chance to reply another knock sounded at the door. "and that would be Ted" she heard Desmond say as she went to open the door.

Emily opened the door just enough to see who was outside. Desmond took a seat on the tan leather couch and sit in silence while Emily talked things over with Ted. He didn't need more than a glimpse of the outside to see it was the big oaf. Ted was just a few inches taller than he was with almost twice his weight in both fat and muscle. He wore a black Halo 3 shirt, Cargo shorts, and his black Converse high-tops. His hair was it's usual mess, short uncombed dark brown hair with _ridiculous _looking mutton chops running down his cheeks like over-sized caterpillars. Emily opened the door a little more and allowed him to see Desmond on the couch.

"Dezzie!" he shouted "whats up bro you didn't return my calls!"

"sorry Ted, my phones been on the fritz for like the past week. I need to take it in and get a new one."

"Don't lie man you just didn't wanna talk to me!" he laughed at his remark like it was hilarious.

Emily opened the door and gave him a hug. "So where is Mark?" Ted broke the embrace and led the two of them down the driveway while he answered her. "He said he was gonna meet us there so we should probably head out. You guys got everything?" Emily nodded and Desmond did as well. "Alright then to the Batmobile!" he said. Desmond took his glasses off and firmly placed his hand over his face, while Emily could be heard sighing. "Having a black car with a batman sticker on the back window doesn't mean you can call it the Batmobile Ted!" called Desmond.

He was just about to get into the passenger seat of Ted's Black Camry when Emily's hand took hold of the lever and she shouted "Chewy!" Desmond stood in awe as his friend sat in the passengers seat of the vehicle, faster than he could even thing of objecting. "The hell does that even mean Em?" he managed as he occupied the back seat behind Emily. Ted reluctantly answered him "it's the Star Wars way of calling shotgun Dezzie" Desmond could only smile and shake his head at how nerdy that sounded.

After an hour or so of driving Ted pulled into the vast parking structure that sat just outside of the theme park. The three of them made their way towards the the escalators, making their way past the crowds of people herding towards the Tram station. Desmond sat on one of the dark green rails that divided the crowds, Emily stood to his left and Ted right across from him.

"So" he started " which park is Mark gonna meet us at Ted?"

Ted looked up from his text messaging to answer "I just asked him to meet us under the Monorail tracks out front of the parks. You sure know how to pick 'em Em, that jerk's been riding all the rides without us!"

Desmond looked over to see Emily sending her own text to Mark, Desmond didn't see the message just a few smiley faces and a heart attached to it, which was more than he needed to see. "she's in La la land now Ted please call back later" he said as the both of them chuckled. The tram pulled into the station as the drivers voice rang on the intercom allowing everybody to board.

After they made it past the bag check tent, Desmond was greeted again by his companion who, until now, had remained silent. _You know Desmond in my solitude I have been struck by an idea._ Desmond slowed his pace and let Ted and Emily walk in front of him so he could continue in peace. "and that is?" he asked with annoyance. _Well you are here at Disneyland, and I assume your going to be here late correct?_ Desmond nodded "what are you getting at?" the voice chuckled at his response and continued _Well why not try and open the gate tonight? There's more than enough essence generating from those visiting to, how do you say?,"mooch" off of._ Desmond became frustrated almost instantly at the thought. Just a week ago he had broken into this very theme park, stolen the tome, ran from security, and to top it all of he took their lives! And yet here this bodiless voice was telling him to try and perform a spell that not only would require a massive amount of essence to perform, but it would hurt anybody within the park!

"No" Desmond said coldly _no? Why not? You've finished the book, you know the spells why not give it another tr- _Desmond cut him off "I said no! I just want to have a normal day with my friends without having you taunting me every time you feel like it! I'm no deity, I'm no sovereign, and I'm no murderer so just lay off me for a day would ya!" for a moment there was not a sound, the only sounds he heard were that of his heartbeat and deep breathing. _Very well Desmond, I understand I had no intention of putting so much stress on you. I shall quietly await your return from this little outing._"Thank you, but before you go I've got something else I need to say to you." _hm? _The voice replied humbly awaiting for Desmond to continue. "you need a name, frankly I'm getting tired of just calling you "The Voice" so you need a name."

Desmond placed a hand to his chin and thought of a suitable name. "how about something cool like, Nicodemus?" This time it was the voices turn to sound annoyed. _You want to name me after a rat? _It took all of Desmond's will power to not start laughing at the thought, the voice was a pest after all. "okay okay Nicodemus is a no go." he thought and thought until one name came to mind and shined above all others."How about Gabriel? You know like the Guardian Angel?" _Where in a very "love/hate" relationship aren't we Desmond?_ It replied. "look do you want the name or not?" for a moment the silence returned until it gave him an answer "Yes Desmond, Gabriel is acceptable." the sudden reply startled the boy, for when Gabriel spoke again his voice sounded clearer somehow. "I shall be here should you need me Desmond" he continued before leaving his host in the silence he craved so much.

Emily and Ted made their way to the theme park entrance. Emily slung her purse back over her shoulder. "So is your boyfriend waiting for us Em?" asked the young man. "He said he was almost there. That probably means this place is gonna be crowded today." Ted responded to her with a simple "yup, that is does." keeping his gaze focused on the Theme Park in the distance. "So why today of all days?" asked Emily snapping his attention from it's daze. "not sure why. I just felt like we needed to go is the only way I can describe it."

Desmond's voice suddenly piped up from behind them, startling Emily. "Sorry about that guys I got..." He paused "Distracted." he finished, his eyes not meeting theirs like he was unsure about something. Not wanting to aggravate the situation further Emily held her tongue. She knew if it kept bothering him he'd talk to them about it, but at the moment they were due to rendezvous with Mark. The three of them had finally made it to their destination. Before them was the space between the two theme parks, both evenly divided by the Monorail track that embedded itself down the center. Underneath one of the many collums stood a young man. Dirty blonde hair decorated his head, complemented by blue eyes. Mark Lancaster wore a plain white T-shirt, with navy blue jeans, with white and blue Nike's to match.

Emily was the first to get his attention as they made their last few strides to his location. "Finally! What took you guys so long? I've been here for like an hour!" he made his way over to his friends giving both Desmond and Ted a hug, before he stood next to Emily and wrapped his arm around her waist. Desmond crossed his arms and shook his head and said "Mark chances are you've been here ten minutes tops!" Mark turned to face Desmond and replied "Point being? That doesn't mean I can't complain about it?" Desmond just rolled his eyes and smiled as the other three shared a chuckle. "Alright enough goofing around guys lets go get our ride on!" Ted said excitedly. All four of them cheered and headed straight for the Disneyland park entrance, with passes at the ready. They marched through the crowds in idle conversation and laughter alike.

"so where to first?" asked Emily "Space Mountain!" cried Mark "No let's go hit up Indiana Jones first bro!" replied Ted. Emily turned to Desmond who was still focusing on whatever it was that was bothering him since they had gotten in, this time she decided to take action. "I'm indifferent, what about you Desmond?" She asked pulling him from his thoughts. "Ya Dezzie what do you feel like going on first?" Desmond took a moment to reply but eventually came up with " the Matterhorn sound like the best choice to me." Emily watched silently as the three of them discussed the options before they had made a compromise. "Okay." Mark started "Matterhorn, Space Mountain, then Indy. After that we just wing it sound good?" Ted and Desmond nodded in agreement. Mark looked down at Emily "What do ya say Em?" she looked back at those deep blue eyes and nodded as well.

"Well what are we waiting for then!" continued Mark. Desmond and Ted answered him in unison "You." Mark turned to the two of them with a priceless look of annoyance before leading the way towards the _Majestic Mountain _where their day would begin!


End file.
